Above All Else
by Hope Trinket
Summary: [Post-Game] - "But above all else, he's grateful. He's still ignorant when it comes to friendship. But he knows with Shiki, he's off to a good start in the right direction. She can guide him along the way." slight NekuxShiki, platonic Shiki/Eri.


**Author Note: **This fanfic is uploaded by the same person just under a different pen name. "Stepping Stones" is on hold until further notice. Also, I do not ship Neku and Shiki hard so do not expect overly done romance.

Disclaimer: Do not own The World Ends with You, thank you!

* * *

_i._

Out of all the people she met, Shiki didn't expect to be friends with Neku.

He was very straightforward, a person who radiated an intimidating aura if you didn't know him. But if somewhere were to sit down and peel away the layers of his complex personality, they'd see there's a lot more behind the curtain. His eyes, that same shade of sapphire blue as they were in the Reaper's Game, held complex emotions, a tornado picking up different feelings that were hard to pick out individually. The headphones he wore to block her out – the _world _– were sitting comfortably around his neck, no longer clamping over hidden ears. He was letting people into his own world, and entering theirs.

He still wears Jupiter of the Monkey trends, which does irk her... Because there are so much better trends out there and Neku's fashion sense was no better than Beat's.

But since the meeting at Hachiko, after their Game, things couldn't have gotten any better. She didn't know why she kept delaying her talk with Eri. Perhaps it was the feeling that if she didn't show up one day at the dog statue, everyone would be gone and she'd wake up to her next day in the terrible week of hell, Neku prodding her in the side, and speaking with an apathetic tone.

Shiki's _scared_. Because if she doesn't show up one day, what if they really _do _disappear? She wants to voice this thought to Neku, but she remains quiet. It's not his problem and either way: He'd grow tired of hearing her complain and worry anyway.

Neku shoots her a concerned glance over his shoulder when she remains unresponsive to a story Beat just barked out. He asks if she's alright, and Shiki's glad she's become an expert on lip reading because their older friend is almost as loud as an elephant. In response, she nods back and it seems to be enough for Neku because he turns away.

_She never misses the wary flicker in his eyes when he drags his attention elsewhere..._

* * *

_ii._

Introducing Eri to Neku is difficult.

Shiki finally contacted her best friend, but something deep down told her to remain quiet about the Game. After Eri had practically strangled her in a bear-hug, tears cascading down her face as she apologized repeatedly for what she had said, Shiki knew the information about the Game would cause Eri to lose it all right there. Her friend was strong, admirable and very smart, but a small little push such as that could cause a person to ultimately collapse. And for all she knew, Eri could turn her back and tell her that it's 'not funny' or something along those lines. Or perhaps Shiki's being paranoid again, but she doesn't want to risk it. So she doesn't say anything.

Neku greets Eri- or rather _Eri _greets _him_; she smiles, saying it's 'nice to meet him' and that Shiki had told her all about him.

_She denies this flustering._

And Neku – _that traitor_ – is trying to hide a smirk of amusement when he notices Shiki's utterly dying of the embarrassment of it all. When the meeting is all over, she was going to have a small talk with Neku...

But when they part ways at the end of their day, Eri backs Shiki into a corner for questioning. She wonders how Shiki – shy, timid and sweet Shiki – could become friends with someone so closed off and secluded. An introvert. Granted, Shiki was an introvert as well, but most introverts did not attract one another. Or so she thought... Regardless, Shiki laughs it off, saying their meeting was just 'dumb luck' and that 'opposites attract'.

_She knows opposites attract, but any force can push them apart._

* * *

_iii._

Neku still makes the mistake of calling Eri 'Shiki'...

She flinches away every time he makes that mistake. And sometimes, she can feel the jealousy rising in the pit of her stomach again. She becomes anxious, wondering if Neku really does prefer the old Shiki – her _looks_, her _personality_ – over her true self. Neku had said he preferred Shiki the way she was, so why was she getting so worked up about it? But she's not only afraid of Neku _leaving her_, but she's worried Eri will question them.

And she does.

The rose-haired girl asks Shiki herself, admitting it would be awkward to ask Neku since he's the one making the mistake. And while Eri can be blunt with people, she hasn't established a solid friendship with Neku yet to question him personally. She's only blunt and straightforward with her friends. Because she pushes them into the right path. Others have two legs; they can move on their own – that was her mantra.

"Why does he call me by _your _name?" she asks, sketching at a new design, refusing to look up. "It's just weird, you know? Could you imagine someone calling you 'Eri'? But we look _nothing _like each other..."

Shiki shrugs, although Eri can't see her nonverbal response. She shares a look with Mr. Mew, who remains unresponsive. He's no longer in the UG – no pin to control him, no psych she could use to make him mobile. "Maybe he's still getting to know us?" Her answer is weak, half answered because she's too busy looking at her stuffed cat, as if he has the answers instead.

The pencil in her friend's hand falls to the desk with a light '_tap_'. "Okay... Just... _How _long have you known Neku again?"

_She's known him longer than Eri knows – longer than she'll _ever _know._

* * *

_iv._

He's the perfect model.

Shiki doesn't pick on people at all. Not by appearance or behavior. But she has to admit, Neku kinda has _that_ type of body. The one where one could just throw together the most girliest trends and he could _still _pull it off. From Lapin Angelique's gothic dresses to Natural Puppy's summer shirts and skinny jeans... Yes, quite embarrassing for her dear friend, but hey, somebody had to do it. And Beat just _happened _to be sick whenever Shiki would bring up shopping...

"I hate this." Neku scowls, arms folded. He manages to pull off the look of an angry model quite well, actually.

Shiki covers her mouth with her hand, suppressing giggles and coughs of laughter. "It's not _all _a waste, Neku. I appreciate it, and so does Eri," She lets a small chuckle escape her. "After all, you volunteered for this, didn't you?" When he opens his mouth to respond, coming up with nothing, she allows a small grin of triumphant slide grace her lips. "Of course you did. So just try on a _few more_ and we'll be done and you can go complain to Beat about how we tortured you."

_She knows he can't stand modeling, but he'll do anything for a friend._

* * *

_v._

She's a bit lightheaded when Neku asks her out.

She's never dated before. Most of the guys would ask Eri (although she turned them down regardless), but _nobody _talked to her. Her response is a flustered, 'U-Uh... Sure.' and he doesn't look convinced at first, so she says quickly that she'd 'love to'. And it's true. If she were to start dating, she'd feel comfortable going out with someone who she's known. Hell she would've gone out with Beat had he asked first. But deep in her heart, she's glad it's Neku. Beat is nice, a big brother figure, but she knows Neku.

_She's more comfortable and knows what to expect from him._

* * *

_vi._

Shiki is confused and somewhat angry.

Ever since her and Neku began dating, they stopped talking to each other. He wouldn't even look at her in class, and whenever they did get time alone, not much was said. It had seemed after their first date (when was that again?) they just... stopped talking. And it wasn't completely Neku's fault either. It bothered Shiki, but she didn't know how to go about it either. Did _she _make the first move, or was she supposed to _wait_?

It hurt to think about.

Because the last thing she wants is to be further away from Neku. She doesn't want to lose him as a friend. And if the whole dating thing wasn't going well because they were best friends and it was _awkward_, then shouldn't she do something about it? Neku certainly wasn't moving anywhere and in reality, she's hesitant too... But she's so tired of the silence. She's so frustrated and deep down it really is affecting her overall. Neku is the closest person to her aside from Eri. So perhaps they were better off as friends...?

_She's upset, but she knows what's right and what's wrong._

* * *

_vii._

Neku isn't happy about breaking up.

He doesn't go on a rant or a rage, he doesn't curse her off, he doesn't stomp away – he does none of these things. Instead, he goes deathly silent and nods, muttering a quiet, 'Okay'. And that word alone – the tone he _uses _– just makes her world fall apart. And guilt is ramming into her like a wave at the beach, compressing her with a force that is beyond unbearable and difficult to struggle out of. She apologizes and he apologizes too, admitting that maybe he should've spoke up more.

He still walks her home. And when she's in the house, she calls Eri to explain what happened.

_She manages to keep both of her friends, but she knows the relationship with him won't be the same._

* * *

_viii._

They start speaking again.

It's a _miracle_. It's almost as if their dates never happened. Shiki should be upset about this, but in reality, she's not. She's just glad that he's finally talking to her again – and vice versa. Words flow out of their mouths so easily now and it's as if they're long lost friends finally reunited over years gone by. And thankfully, her whole friendship circle managed to stay intact; Eri is not mad at Neku, she's not mad at Shiki. She's sorry it didn't work out the way they were planning, but she understands and she will accept – because friends do that.

In a way, it's kind of odd: Shiki speaks to Neku on the phone nearly as often as she does with Eri. Most of her inbox is full of messages – conversations – from him.

But Shiki doesn't complain – there's nothing _to_ complain about.

_She remembers their first date every now and then, the behavior... But she knows it's a thing of the past and as long as they were both moving on, she was fine._

* * *

_ix._

The Reaper's Game is a touchy subject.

Neku never speaks of it, and neither does Shiki. But this time, it's different because so many things are bothering her... And she doesn't know _why_, but she can't seem to recall much from the fight against Megumi Kitaniji. She remembers seeing his true Noise form, but what happened after that? She goes to question Neku about it, and he falls silent. She notices there's something in his eyes:

Disbelief and, above all else, pain and loneliness.

She's beyond confused, so she asks him what really happened.

He dismisses her with a shake of the head, saying, 'It's nothing' before walking past her and down the hallway.

_She knows something happened... She knows there are gaps in her memory._

* * *

**x.**

_"Neku, you can tell me anything... You know that, right?"_

That's what Shiki had told him. And yes, he knows he can, but does he want to? No. He's already put her through so much in their first week... Asking for more could only dent a relationship further, right? He was an introvert; he needed someone to come to him, not the other way around. Shiki _knows _this, and yet she still refuses to make a first move. She knows that he's hiding something so why doesn't she just outright question or corner him or something? He'd answer; he won't yell at her. He _never _yells at Shiki... Not since their first week.

But above all else, he's grateful.

He's still ignorant when it comes to friendship. But he knows with Shiki, he's off to a good start in the right direction. She can guide him along the way.

He's still a bit upset that they're not dating, but at least they're still friends. And the last thing he wants to do is jeopardize their relationship just because Shiki doesn't want to be his girlfriend. And quite frankly, he isn't so sure if he's _ready _for dating yet. The concept is new, and he's a virgin to all of this. But things are patched up... They're sewn together.

He's still as close to Shiki as she is with Eri – perhaps more, now. So he assumes, but inside, he knows there's an irreplaceable bond betwen those two – something that can't be ignored. But Neku doesn't mind in the slightest. Shiki needs the support, and while he may not be held in such a high position as Eri, he's still up on the charts, somewhere safe in Shiki's heart. And that's completely fine with him. As long as he can still talk with her, protect her from harm, paint over any negative emotions (the _jealousy_) that might contaminate her mind again, then he won't say a thing.

Looking back on his relationship – the _development _– with her overtime from the terrible three weeks of gameplay in the Reaper's Game, maybe he's willing to let her in to his own secret garden.

(And maybe he should lend more of an ear to her too.)


End file.
